The Honda Pilot has been a staple SUV in North America for a long time, but even it falls victim to depreciation. A new 2025 Honda Pilot starts at $40,200, which is a good price for an SUV of this size. However, it will cost you a lot more than that after a few years of ownership. Here’s how much a Honda Pilot depreciates after five years, and why you should consider buying a 2019 model over a brand-new one.

2019 Honda Pilot

The Honda Pilot is the Japanese automaker’s largest SUV, offering three rows of seats. It has a potent 3.5-liter V6 engine and available all-wheel-drive, making it a capable off-road vehicle. 

Engine

3.5-liter V6

Drive Layout

FWD/AWD

Horsepower

280 hp

0-60mph

6.3 seconds

Torque

262 lb-ft

Top Speed

130

Transsmission

6- or 9-speed automatic

Expand

The Honda Pilot is the bigger sibling to the small, roomy and affordable CR-V crossover, but it’s still classed as a mid-size SUV. Despite this, it squeezes three rows of seating inside to comfortably carry up to eight passengers, and features modern tech, like What cars have wireless Apple CarPlay?. In this post, we’ll look at overall ownership costs over five years, how the Pilot depreciates compared to other SUVs, and some common faults to watch out for when buying used.

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The Honda Pilot loses $13,736 in five years

When the 2019 Honda Pilot was released five years ago, it had an attractive starting MSRP of $31,450. Now, according to Kelley Blue Book, a fair purchase price for a used model is $17,714. This represents a 43.6% depreciation over five years, almost half the original value.

This may seem like a huge loss in a short period, but it’s not that bad. We’ve seen electric cars depreciate more in one year. What you should consider is the potential savings on new; around $22,485.

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Total ownership costs over five years

Honda

CarEdge reports the total cost of owning a Honda Pilot for five years is $52,080. That figure seems high because it includes the depreciation. Since we’ve already discussed that, we’ll remove it from our calculation for a clearer picture of running costs. Only counting insurance, maintenance, interest, and fuel, the true cost to own is $33,247. (We used KBB for depreciation, which varies from CarEdge, hence the difference).

Honda Pilot ownership costs

Of course, these values will vary by individual. For example, your insurance may fluctuate, and you might need more or less fuel. Though, if you do a lot of miles, used hybrid SUVs are perfect for hyper-milers. Also, if you’re good at mechanics, you could buy a Carly OBDII scanner and do your own repairs. Regardless, this is a fairly low ownership cost, with CarEdge rating it A-.

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Honda Pilot depreciation compared to others

If you’re in the market for a used mid-size SUV like the Honda Pilot, but this depreciation has made you think twice, then perhaps seeing a few other options will give you some perspective. During the same period, the Kia Sorento lost 62% of its value, and the Subaru lost 53.5%. That’s significantly more than the Honda.

Factors affecting car depreciation

Various factors contribute to depreciation, including desirability and reliability. Last year, over 141,000 new Honda Pilots were registered, way more than the Sorento and Ascent (95,154 and 56,286 respectively), which shows demand for the Japanese SUV is as high as ever. In fact, another Honda model landed in the top three best-selling SUVs in 2024.

2019 Honda Pilot Reliability

Honda

There are plenty of reliable vehicles not made by Honda or Toyota, but Japanese cars are known for their great engines and robust build quality. The 2019 Honda Pilot has a J.D. Power reliability score of 77/100, and 3.5 out of five starts on RepairPal. These are average scores for the segment, but lower repair costs suggest only minor jobs need to be done over the first five years of its life.

2019 Honda Pilot crash test

The 2019 Honda Pilot received a five-star safety rating from NHTSA, plus a Top Safety Pick award from IIHS, which is testament to its solid build quality and occupant protection measures. In the crash test video, you can see the side airbags effectively deploy to protect the interior from shards of glass, while the front airbags cushion and potentially fatal bump to the head.

Common faults

Despite scoring well on reliability, no car is without its weaknesses. According to various owner reports, warped front rotors seem to be a common issue, which can be as subtle as vibrations in the brake pedal, to total brake failure. Other repeated problems vary from minor issues to serious safety concerns.

• Warped front rotor
• Stabilizer link noises
• Overheated wire harness causing low beams to fail

Car depreciation is the enemy of new car buyers, but is a used car buyer’s best friend. You could save over $22,486 by buying a 2019 Honda Pilot instead of a 2025 model that you’ll potentially regret after just a few years. Like anything pre-owned, there are risks involved when it comes to maintenance, plus a few common faults to look out for, but high reliability scores inspire confidence in second-hand Hondas.